Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences are refusing to be vaccinated against influenza, claiming that the vaccine in use is outdated and of no worthwhile use.

Influenza scare at AIIMS as doctors

NEW DELHI: AIIMS may be staring at a potential outbreak of influenza-like illnesses. Most doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences have refused to take the preventive vaccination against the influenza virus as, they claim, the vaccine is outdated and ineffective.

"World Health Organization (WHO) issues the guidelines after an extensive research each year on the potential strains of virus that can cause pandemics and the type of vaccine to be used. The recommendation for 2012-13 is a trivalent vaccine which covers three potentially pandemic causing viruses giving maximum protection. However, AIIMS has been using only the outdated monovalent vaccine, pandyflu, from 2010 that covers only one type of virus," said Dr Deepak Damodaran, vice-president of the AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association. He said the vaccines were reformulated each year due to the changing strains of the virus.